Pretoria – Government officials will spend the week interacting with communities throughout the country as part of National Imbizo Focus Week.
The week is an opportunity for government to unpack the Nine-Point Plan to citizens, which outlines the areas of focus to ignite economic growth and create much-needed jobs. Two of the main pillars of the plan are resolving the energy challenge and revitalising agriculture and the agro-processing value chain.
Acting Communications Minister Mosebenzi Zwane on Monday officially launched the National Imbizo Focus Week at Ga-Seleka Community Hall in Lephalale, Limpopo. This is the fourth in a series of Imbizo Focus Week programmes since the current administration took office in 2009.
In keeping with the principles of the Imbizo programme, Minister Zwane’s visit to Ga-Seleka was a follow-up to a visit done by Communications Minister Faith Muthambi in November last year.
Minister Zwane observed significant progress made on service delivery. Some noteworthy interventions include houses that are being built by the municipality for destitute families.
Minister Zwane also officiated the switch-on of an electrification project, which sees 749 households in Ga-Seleka being connected to the grid.
Minister Zwane, accompanied by provincial and local leadership, also held a community Imbizo at Ga-Seleka Community Hall to provide feedback on issues raised previously.
“I am encouraged and pleased that progress has been made in this community and that Imbizo has facilitated change to occur. It is pivotal that communities embrace the Imbizo Focus Week, as it gives a chance to work together with government in bringing sustainable resolutions to their needs,” said Minister Zwane.
Serving communities
The whole Imbizo Programme is designed to allow for government to interact with communities, and to get feedback from communities on matters that affect their development.
Ga-Seleka resident, Sara Madibane, thanked government for giving her a house. “I am very grateful to government for building this house for me and my four kids. I am grateful for the work done by the Lephalale social workers in identifying poor families in our community and ensuring that we receive government services and proper houses.”
The Otsweleng family also benefitted from the programme.
“I am very happy that government has built a house for my mother. We will now be able to sleep at night without worrying about the leaking roof during rainy days,” said Lydia Otsweleng.
The Lephalale Local Municipality has been identified as one of the key mining areas in respect of the Special Presidential Package for the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Towns.
Minister Zwane provided an update on mining projects underway and in the pipeline in the Waterberg District Municipality, which will contribute to the Nine-Point Plan.
Members of Ga-Sekela community also had an opportunity to register for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) set top boxes as part of the Department of Communications registration drive towards digital broadcasting.
Different government departments were also present to render services and provide government information.
For updates during Imbizo Focus Week, follow @GCISMedia @SAGovNews and @GovernmentZA. Join the conversation using the #ImbizoWeek or #9PointPlan.
The full programme can be found on the government website www.gov.za.
Imbizo events
On Wednesday, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane is expected to conduct a site inspection to the Umzimvubu Water Project in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape.
On Thursday, Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson will host a Symbolic Electricity Switch-on and Community Imbizo in Walmer in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the Eastern Cape.
On Friday, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Oceans Economy -- led by Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa -- will be at the harbour in Port Elizabeth to showcase the developments and give a progress report. President Zuma is also expected to attend.
On Sunday, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, will pay a follow-up visit to Ncorha in the Chris Hani Municipality in the Eastern Cape to showcase the developments in Agri-parks projects.
Government will also urge communities to register for the upcoming elections. Thirty-eight events are planned countrywide in this week. Members of the public are invited to attend these events. – SAnews.gov.za
